


Why Won't You Stay

by MistyGish



Series: Veridicality [2]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, F/M, Gen, Past Relationship(s), Phone Calls & Telephones
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-05
Updated: 2019-03-05
Packaged: 2019-11-12 13:43:36
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,773
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18012014
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MistyGish/pseuds/MistyGish
Summary: This is part of the sequel to The Mercy of Fortune while not actually being the actual sequel. These are interstitial mostly told through a series of phone calls (all thought that might expand as the series goes on) meant to bridge the gaps between my story line and the televised story.





	1. Your Ex Lover is Dead

**Author's Note:**

> Begins shortly after The Mercy of Fortune and Skin

Your Ex Lover Is Dead

* * *

"God that was strange to see you again

Introduced by the friend of a friend

Smiled and said 'Yes, I think we've met before'

In that instant it started pour"

* * *

This was not the feeling she associated with death. The lanky redhead had seen her share of it. More than her share in reality. This wasn't death, it was… something else. Too sanitized, almost too unreal. Her eyes drifted down to the picture again. It hadn't been too difficult to get the crime scene photos.

While she had stopped tailing the Winchesters, she hadn’t stopped keeping tabs on them. Had she not routinely run searches for information on some key names, she wouldn't have even known. That was a sad statement because there were so many lives he had changed, so many people who owed their lives to Dean Winchester. It didn't play for her that he himself had been a murderer. He wouldn’t kill people. Not innocent people. It didn't jibe for her.

Dean was a lot of things but a killer? Okay, he was a killer but not of everyday people. And to be shot, just shot? It all seemed odd. It wasn't something she was going to let simply pass without issue. And why the hell hadn't anyone looked into it? Sure, there were people who wouldn't give a damn about someone with Dean's record but there were enough hunters who cared about the younger man to investigate. But from what she had heard, not a soul had been to St. Louis in that week to check it out.

That was strange. Mae frowned and took another drink. It hadn't been that long since she had seen him last. If she were being honest, she thought they wouldn’t see each other again. Dean had wanted more, she didn't know what that might be but it scared the hell out of her. She couldn’t imagine what being friends with him would look like at this point? Would they hunt together? Did he want a physical relationship? It didn’t matter at this point, did it, she thought. Mae wasn't prone to tears and knew it wasn't likely she would shed them now but if anyone deserved them it was Dean.

She told herself that it wasn't regret she felt. It wasn't an empty hollow feeling that had her drinking hard liquor before noon. She didn't even fool herself this time. She missed Dean. They had made up, at least somewhat, last time she saw him. He had unintentionally eroded some of the walls she had built so carefully to keep people from getting so close to her again. Three days in the woods, an all out fistfight, and a roll of emotions that would confuse everyone had destroyed all her work.

As much as she wanted, she couldn't get over the fact that Dean liked her. It seemed ridiculous given what they faced but well, she had never made it easy for people to like her and typically didn't care enough to find out. There were a few exceptions and Dean was the biggest. Her instinct was to push him away but she knew that ultimately, her affection for him would win out. There was just something about being near him that made her want to spend more time, be closer. It was a n impulse she didn’t understand as she’d never felt it for anyone else before.

Despite that, she knew she needed to keep him at a distance, because she would too easily get distracted by him, by her feelings for him. She had work to do that didn’t need that. Mae supposed she also assumed she’d have more time to... reconnect. That was gone now.

Just as she steeled herself against the tears, her phone rang. Groping for it, she frowned at the caller ID: Dean. She thought perhaps she was reading it wrong. No, it was Dean. A some cruel reminder. She knew it couldn't be him. She blinked the gathering tears from her eyes and cleared her throat.

"Hey Sam, how you doin'?" Her voice wasn't strong enough to get more out. It in no way conveyed what she felt or what she wanted to say. She didn't ask the question casually. Sam couldn't possibly be doing well with his brother's death.

"Sam? Are you expecting a call from my brother?" She couldn't form words right then. His voice was distinct and there was no question who was on the other end. And there was no question about who's body it was in the crime scene photo. "You know I might get jealous here. Mae? Mae you still there?"

Somehow she held onto the phone but did lose her grip on her glass. He chuckled at the softly muttered curse and it brought her back to reality. "You're dead."

Dean laughed. "So you heard about that then?"

"You sound awfully casual for a dead man."

"I'm not dead."

The redhead scoffed. "I've got evidence to the contrary."

"Checkin' up on me? I think I like that."

"Listen, I don't know who you are or what you're playing at but trust me, you picked the wrong person to imitate."

He couldn't keep from chuckling. This was almost as good as seeing his own funeral. Mae was defending him. Sort of. "I'm not dead, okay and this really is me. The dead guy who looked like me wasn't me."

Her red eyebrow arched. Things made a bit more sense if that wasn't Dean who was dead. Still, Mae wasn't exactly a believer, not when it came to taking things at face value.

 "Hey, Scout's Honor, Mae."

 "Dude, even if you were a boy scout I wouldn't believe you."

 "I have an honest face."

 "No you have the face of…" Well, it wasn't an innocent face, that was for sure but she couldn't exactly find words to describe it.

 "Of what?"

 "Not a boy scout, that's for sure. So if that wasn't you dead there, what was it?"

 "Shapeshifter."

 "How'd you kill it?"

 "Quiz time, Maes? That's an amateur question." She shrugged before she reminded herself she was on the phone.

 "Well sweetmeat, it still stands."

 He would have loved to see her. For now, he would just picture with that hard glint in her big eyes, consternation pressing her lips to a thin line and the seated bend of her long frame telling him he couldn't bullshit her. It made his blood run hot.

 "Silver bullet, straight to that handsome bastard's heart. Shame to waste that face though… I mean, aside from the fact that he was ruining my good reputation."

 She snorted. "Good reputation? Do you forget I am… aware of your reputation?"

 "Hey I may be a lady-killer but… I'm not lady killer."

 "Yeah." She wanted to believe him. There was just something about Dean. While she wouldn't admit it to him of all people, he was still a hero of sorts to her and going out like that, it didn't happen to men like him. She huffed, trying to push down the relief because she knew it might not be real. "This has been nice Dean or whoever you are but… I need proof."

 "What would you do for that proof Mae?"

 If she didn't know any better she would swear he was hitting on her. Scratch that, she knew he was but innuendo didn't prove it. "Well, for starters I probably won't shoot you."

 "There's that."

 "But trust me, if you aren't Dean Winchester I will hunt you down" He knew she would and in a strange way it was flattering to be threatened by her.

 "Fair enough. When you realize I'm not dead, what's my reward?"

 Mae smiled a bit. "Well, it'll be one fewer day you're shot."

 "Aw, c'mon gimme something more." She was silent. "A phone call at least."

He didn't want to beg but damned if he didn't want to talk to her. He had hoped she hadn't heard about the murder charges, his death. Of course this was Mae and she always seemed one step ahead. Made the chase interesting.

"Deal. I'll either give you a call or a bullet."

"You make it sound so sweet Miss Singer." He nearly laughed when she hung up the phone on him.

* * *

 


	2. Sick and Tired

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On with part 2, takes place right after Your Ex Lover is Dead.

Sick and Tired

* * *

"Oh baby  
What you gonna do  
Oh baby  
What you gonna do  
I'm sick and tired  
Fooling around with you"

* * *

This had been going on for a while now and getting difficult to ignore. If Mae were smart, she would have just turned it off. But then what it if were something important? She eyed her cell phone with a suspicion. Even her favorite Boz Scaggs ringtone was beginning to put her on edge. It was best she not listen to the lyric. As the phone started up its song and dance, she grabbed it off the table. "What?"

"Jeeze Mae, I was beginning to worry."

Mae frowned as she rested the phone between her shoulder and ear, picking up her gun to clean it. What was Dean playing at, she wondered. Not being at each others’ throats did not mean everything was fine again. "There's nothing to worry about."

"Do you think you could at least try to be…?"

"Try to be what?" Mae asked, a little annoyed at this point.

He let out a breath against the microphone. "I don't know. Nice, maybe?"

"You want me to be nice?"

"Well… it's been nearly a month. Surly by now you've decided if I'm dead or not. And you haven't given me a call or shot me yet so…" As he trailed off Mae could feel her uneasiness grow.

She pressed her lips together. "I've been busy." This was exactly why she hated talking on the phone, particularly to Dean; she didn't know if her lies were landing.

"Busy?" The word was acrid, he nearly bit it out, and his laugh was just as cutting. "That's the best excuse you can come up with?"

"Excuse me but I'm pretty sure I don't need to come up with excuses that satisfy you. I have a life too Dean. It's not like…" Mae put down the gun she was cleaning and took a breath. It hadn't taken long for Dean to push her buttons and her dropped statement left a long period of silence. "Why are you trying so hard at this Dean?"

"Because I know you."

"You don't, okay? I am someone different, you are someone different. Why pretend otherwise?"

His voice softened and became less harsh "Yeah we're both different but… we're both the same too, the important things are the same."

"And just what do you judge to be important."

She could most certainly envision the smirk on his face as he answered. "I bet you still get weak in the knees when someone sucks on that spot just behind your ear lobe."

Rolling her eyes, she was glad he couldn't see the tiny smile that showed up on her lips. "That is not one of those… important things. That's not the reason you are still trying to… do whatever you're doing, is it?"

"Maybe, maybe not. But it is important for what I have planned next."

She scoffed, picking up the gun to start cleaning it once again. Just as quickly as he could bring her so close to the edge, he could push her back into her comfort zone. Talking with Dean was like playing a game of ping-pong. "You're just so sure I won't say no to you aren't you?"

"I know you won't say no. You aren't good with no where I'm involved."

She rolled her eyes. "You are really so full of yourself, aren't you?"

"Well you know from personal experience how good that can be, don't you." It wasn't a question, it was a statement. Mae had a feeling that while he was trying to get a rise out of her, there was more than a little truth in his words.

"Dude…" She shook her head even though she knew that he couldn't see her. Then came the heavy sigh "This is getting old Dean. I'm tired of… of not being able to just talk to you without all the..."

She deflated. It wasn't a new feeling. Dealing with Dean brought up so many uncomfortable issues for her, ones she was not ready to handle. And yet… he had this draw for her. Something that she couldn't hide.

"So you do want to talk to me?" He asked

"You keep calling."

"You don't tend to answer. Why did you this time?"

Truthfully, she enjoyed the banter at some level when she didn't take it personally. She knew she shouldn't. The real question was why did she? She didn't have an answer. "I went to St. Louis. You're not dead. Ignoring you didn't work so it seems to me I only have one option."

"Talking to me is a last resort?"

"Talking to you seems to be a necessary evil."

"It doesn't hafta be."

"I wish it weren't but you keep making it weird."

"Okay, fair enough."

She nearly did a double take with that one. Dean wasn't an unreasonable man but well, he was Dean and he didn't roll over like that. "So… why did you call this time?"

Dean was silent a while. It was so long that Mae pulled the phone away from her ear to check and see if there were still connected. "I seem to recall you asking me what the important things were."

Mae sighed, knowing there was something more important at hand, an actual reason he had called her but it lay behind the insinuation and misdirection. Apparently one of those things that would never change, she thought. "Yes, I suppose I did."

"And you didn't like my first answer, did you?"

Fluidly, she went back to cleaning her weapon. It was calming now that the conversation had moved into a relaxed lull. "It wasn't a real answer."

"I don't know about that. I think there are certain… fundamental and physical things about us, as humans that are very important."

Sometimes his voice simply dripped with lust. Bedroom eyes? Hell, Dean had some pretty slick bedroom vocal cords. Mae shook her head. That wasn't what she wanted to think about. "Philosophy though sex, eh?"

"I didn't say that was about sex, I said it was fundamental things. The things you like, the things we like, those are most important."

She wasn't sure where he was headed with this but maybe he was right, maybe she could be 'nice'. At least she could make the effort to be sociable. After all, there were not a lot of people who understood the life. "Okay then."

"But you're right, there's more."

"More?"

"Yeah. Like, I know you still love thunderstorms. You probably still go out in the middle of them like a damn fool. You hate the smell of Vick's vapo-rub. You wouldn't tell anyone but you love the color pink." That garnered him a laugh. "You used to love strawberry shampoo which is why I love strawberry shampoo, by the way. You don't really like chick flicks but you love stupid comedies and Sci-Fi. You love French toast with Tabasco."

"Dean…."

"What, you gonna tell me I'm totally off base on all this?"

"No, I just… you remember all this?"

"Of course."

She shook her head. "Impossible."

"C'mon, I'm an observant guy."

"I know you are." She conceded.

"You just thought I'd forget you?"

"I--you don't have a good track record remembering most things about women."

"Women, maybe… not you."

"What makes me different?"

"Hell if I know. You're a bigger pain in my ass than most?"

The both laughed that time. "If being a pain in the ass were all it took to keep us together…"

"No, you’re different because we let ourselves have something real and yeah, part of it was sex but most of it was... friendship, right?”

“It was. But--”

“There’s no but on this. I...it’s not like we both have an abundance of friends to start throwing them away. And, I guess a big part of it is that we’re both hunters. That makes it easier, doesn’t it? We don’t have to keep that secret.”

“You’ve certainly thought about this a lot.”

“I’ve had the time. Plus...you were right. I was mad at you because I didn’t know what happened. I might have still been mad, for a while, had I known but I also would have wanted to help you. And I mean, you were upset, right? When I went along with that half truth you were willing to use to push me away. When you realized how I felt and though about you.”

“Yeah, I did.” She said it very softly. He was right. It had upset her when his anger and the vitriol around what he’d felt was a betrayal had come to the surface.

“So, you can say you’re busy or ignore me, whatever. But you still care on some level. Maybe you just care about how I see you or maybe you still care about me.”

“Well...”

“It’s okay. It’s not like...Listen, I get it. It’s easier in some ways to be like that. But it’s harder to live that way.”

“I, um, I’ve...I've spent the past few years doing, well being the job actually.”

“Oh, I’ve never dealt with anyone like that before.”

“You’re really coming out prepared for this, aren’t you Deany.”

“I’m just saying it seems stupid for us to keep pushing away.”

“I get that. Logically, at least.”

“I don’t have an end goal here Mae. I don’t anything from you except...we both made mistakes over the years and maybe this one we can work at fixing. Whatever that looks like.”

“Are you gonna stop hitting on me?”

“Probably not. Unless you really want me to?”

“Be, like, 45 percent less gross.”

“Okay.”

“Okay?”

“Yeah… so what do you remember about me that you think is important?"

"The unchanging things? Well those are fairly obvious. You'd do almost anything to save anyone if you could and if that person mattered to you, then you would do _anything_. You can't stand rats because their tails are freakin' creepy. You can fix… almost anything. You'll never really admit…" She trailed off.

"What?" His inquiry was filled with desperation, as if her answer held the key to some mystery.

"You just don't see what other people see about you and so you hide it behind the worst."

"So you… you just see the worst?"

"No. I've known you too long to be fooled by any of that. I may not like it but I see if for what it is. And you’re actually...kinda sweet. This… this is gettin' a little deep Dean."

He cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Yeah. Listen… I should let you go."

"Wait. That's why you called?"

"I just called to chat. Talk to ya later sweetheart." Mae gave an indignant huff as he chuckled and hung up. This was going to be damned annoying she realized.

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter starts after Waiting for a Coincidence so please read that part of the series before chapter three.


	3. Telephone Line

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another phone call between my two favorite hunters. This chapter takes place a few weeks after the conclusion of WFAC and sometime around Asylum and Scarecrow. This isn't a standalone, you'll need to read Waiting for a Coincidence at the very least to figure out what's going on!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please note, this chapter doesn't take place right after chapter two. It takes place at the end of Waiting for a Coincidence. This isn't a standalone, you'll need to read Waiting for a Coincidence at the very least to figure out what's going on!

* * *

How you feelin?  
Are you still the same?  
Don't you realize the things we did, we did, were all for real, not a dream?  
I just can't believe  
They've all faded out of view

* * *

 

Dean picked up the phone and scrolled down to her name. His gut twisted with a nervousness he was unaccustomed to. He dialed her number, feeling his nerves lessen at first but grow again the longer it took for her to answer. When he only got her voicemail, he felt a distinct feeling of disappointment. That feeling was more and more familiar. His teeth clenched as he listened to her recorded voice telling him that she couldn't come to the phone right then.

"Hey Red, it's…" He cleared his throat, "it's me. I uh, I guess I was just calling to check on—check in with you. But I guess you're busy or something. Again. So, yeah. Why don't you call me back soon as you can? Otherwise I'll hafta send out the search party. So, I uh… I yeah, I'll talk to you soon."

The past few weeks were like this. She wasn’t stonewalling him, not exactly but there was a new distance he hadn’t expected. At first, having left her house with a sweet but noncommittal kiss, everything had seemed perfect. It was certainly better than any time in the last three years. They weren’t fighting over the past or a spell. Dean thought they were even closer than ever. They’d made progress, as ‘daytime TV therapist’ as that sounded, they had talked about their issues and while they couldn’t expect to have everything magically fixed between them, things were better.

Except for being apart. That part was worse now. Dean remembered not thinking about her at all. But now, she occupied more than just the part of his memory dedicated to bittersweet things. No, now she was popping up everywhere. He’d be working a job, thinking about how much he’d like to have Mae at his side. He’d see or hear something that just struck him as something Mae might like, or hate, or find funny. He supposed it was infatuation and he was okay with that. What he didn’t understand was why Mae didn’t seem to react in the same way.

All indications were, while she was hesitant and a little guarded, she wasn’t absolutely unresponsive to those feelings. When she was comfortable enough to be open, he knew these feelings were not just on his side. He knew there was something else, something that held her back. She’d alluded to as much but never told him what it was. So, he tried not to push too hard while still trying to keep her from retreating completely. With things as tense as they were with Sam, he had hoped that Mavis might be there for him. Hearing her voice telling him to leave a message just wasn't enough.

He missed her, his heart ached for her. It was an unexpected feeling. Even when they had been fighting, he felt this way. He wanted to be near her and unsure why. After all, there were far more accessible women out there, women who he didn't have to be tied to or work so hard to win over. As much as he wanted to ignore the connection he felt to her, he couldn’t. She had a singular power to drive him insane and make him happier than anyone else. Her smiles made him smile in return, her laughter was more intoxicating than any liquor, and the way she touched him filled him with a strange sense of calm mixed with excitement.

There was no other woman who made him genuinely made him want to incorporate them into his life and Mae would fit so well. He’d been with other women had left an impression certainly and one who had made him consider the possibility of being with someone with a normal woman. He didn't know if he loved her, not when he felt this way about Mavis. It was possible because the way he felt about Mae was so all encompassing so he couldn’t compare. Of course, if Mae had shown him anything it was just how easily things could change, how simple it could be to fix something broken.

Or not. Dean shook his head. He was being to think that perhaps Mae had changed her mind. In a moment unusual honesty, he’d told her he loved her. Maybe that spooked her. She was so impossibly stubborn. Even as she said she wanted to find out what might have been between them, she kept distancing herself.

Now, she only allowed him to have parts and pieces of her but nothing like he wanted, nothing like he was willing to offer of himself. Dean told himself he should be satisfied with where they were, it was better than nothing and it was more than he had ever had before. Of course, if this were her way of ending things, maybe that was okay. If they kept going, no one got hurt if he and Mae were more than friends, had more than the occasional night together or the handful of jobs they worked. That left him chasing after her.

* * *

Mavis couldn't say why her heart sank whenever Dean called now. Lord knew that wasn’t the way she wanted to feel, although she knew it wasn’t abundantly apparent. She listened to his message, more than once. She didn't want to, at least not the second or third time, but she liked the sound of his voice. How many times had she told herself that developing feelings for him a mistake, a bad idea, or at the very least poorly timed? And still she couldn't stop missing him.

His voice, even as tongue-tied as it was, made her heart quiver. She wanted him in ways… ways she didn't even want to label. Sometimes she could see herself with Dean, hunting, living, loving. Under different circumstances, it was something she wanted. They were good when they were together, at least when they weren’t under the influence of a spell.

When she was with him, it seemed like there was potential. She felt whole, she felt safe. But it still felt wrong. Not being with Dean but being happy with him, being happy because of him, perhaps being happy period. That was what felt wrong. While he chased after that, it made her more and more uncomfortable the longer she was alone with it. When he was with her, it all made sense but apart she thought too much about it.

That wasn't what she wanted. She wanted her head and her heart to get together on this. She missed him and she knew being with him would distract her from what she needed to get done. It wasn't practical to be with him. It wasn't wise to be with him. But it was so hard to be apart. The only thing that made it easier was not talking to him. Evidently, he did not feel the same way.

If he had called about a case, she could have pretended it was just work and convince herself that she was going for the job and not the man. She felt selfish for wanting to see him without being able to at least come clean about why she was acting the way she was. Maybe if she slept with him, she could distract him with that. It wouldn’t be entirely without reward, she though with a grin.

Dean would go for it and it would for, for a while at least. Maybe she would eventually overcome whatever was keeping her from feeling like she could get close to someone else again. But she could hardly sleep with him while keeping her emotions under control. That brought her back to her original option; she needed to ignore Dean until he got the point.

Right now, that plan wasn't working. She knew he was serious when said he'd come looking for her if she didn't call him back. So, she would either breakdown and call him or he'd show up on her doorstep. As much as she wanted to see him, she knew being in the same room with him would make her weaken. Summoning up her courage, she tried to steal herself against Dean's charms.

* * *

"Hey," Her voice was a lot breathy and just a little hesitant. He tried to ignore the hesitation and focus on the romantic, sensual timber of her speech.

Dean smiled to himself, relived to finally get the call back. That hadn't taken too long. All the excuses he had made up to pacify his nagging doubt were finally true, he thought. She’d been busy and needed time before she was able to get back to him. He rationalized it and somehow that made it seem sensible. "Hey, yourself. I was starting to worry."

His tone was light, easy and happy. Thank God, she thought that she couldn't see his face. That might have broken her heart if had to watch her break his. "No, you weren't."

Her voice was a bit strange, a little cold he thought but perhaps he was reading into something with her. There could be something going on, a case or something. Perhaps she wasn't feeling good or something, so he ignored it and decided to tease her a little. "I know the kind of trouble you can get into."

His game wasn't going to work, she needed to stick to her guns. "I was… busy."

What was wrong with her, he wondered. Was it him? Was it her? He wanted to wait until she told him, but he thought he might have to talk it out of her. "Yeah, you've been busy a lot lately. A lotta cases or something?"

She sighed. "You know the job."

"I do, I do. So…" There was a long, telling pause. Neither of them willing or wanting to make the next move. Dean didn't like it. "What the hell is this Mae?"

His ire was up. She knew it was a tipping point and she could use it. He'd either give up or try harder. She just had to figure out a way to get the man to stop trying. "What's what?"

"Don't…" his first instinct was to raise his voice, yell but knew her well enough that he needed to stay calm for the time being, "you know what I mean."

"I really don't know what you're talking about. I've been busy. You know, this work doesn't do itself."

"So that's how you're going to play this?"

Annoyance started to creep into her previously cold and unattached tone and words. "Dude, I'm not playing at anything. You've been calling me like crazy. Is something wrong? Do you need help or something? Or is this just a social call."

His eyes narrowed. He was convinced now that she wasn't just in a bad mood, she was being purposefully evasive and rude. And he didn't know why. There wasn't anything he could think of that he had done to put her in such a mood. "What’s wrong with a social call? Or am I just wasting my time here?"

"What would wasting your time look like?"

"Okay what the hell is going on with you Mae? All I know is things were going fine, we were actually acting like adults and trying work out our issues. I thought we were having a fun time at it too. I was under the impression that we actually liked each other. If you don't feel anything-"

She cut him off and tried to get straight to the point she thought he was trying to make. "We've already established that I do. What is it you're looking for here? A girlfriend, a wife? You wanna make a lot of babies you can raise up to be hunters? Huh? Is that what you want? Because if it is, then I can't give that to you. I can't be any of that. I can however be your partner. We can hunt together, hang out together, even have some fun from time to time. None of that means I care about you any less."

"Wow, that's a nice little speech Mae but not even remotely my point. I mostly meant that communication is a two-way street and you've shut yours down. I was just looking for a sign and you know maybe I got it. You don't want to talk to me and when you finally make the effort, you're in a pisser of a mood. I don't really care to chase after rejection with you."

That was it she decided. All she had to do was keep her voice even and stony. "Maybe you shouldn't call me anymore then."

It was the hardest thing she’d told him. While they’d had big fights and tackled a number of uncomfortable topics, none of them seemed to come as close to being overtly hurtful. And she knew she had hit the right mark with his silence.

Damn, Dean thought, Mae had dealt some low blows, but they were usually reserved for fights where the traded potshots and harsh words without meaning them. This, he could tell she meant. Something had happened since he last saw her and now. They had touched on that magic that had been a part of their old relationship. It wasn't perfect, they'd have to work but he was willing to do what it took to get to the place where they could just be close again. Apparently, Mae did not see things the same way.

"You really want that Maeby? You never wanna talk to me again?"

"I didn't—yes." She had to lie to correct herself. Her first denial had just popped out of her mouth without any thought to it, "I think maybe we should stop talking for a while."

"Well, you've really been working hard at that lately."

"I thought you might take the hint."

"I thought when things got tough, we'd try to ride it out. I thought we would be smarter than this and I really thought you wouldn't just give up."

It was a calculated move and Mae knew she shouldn't have reacted, but she couldn't help it. "I'm not giving up Dean. I'm just saying I need some space."

"You've got nothin' but space sweetheart. You know, we could actually talk about whatever is bothering you."

She shook her head. "I don't want to talk about it, not with you and not now. What I want is just some time, some space. I'll call you when I'm ready."

"It doesn't work like that. I don't just jump when you say jump."

"Then I guess it doesn't work Dean."

"Bullshit, Mae!"

"What did you expect?"

The woman knew just what to say, just what buttons to push and he couldn't stand it. He was mad now and he had to take a breath, he had to find a way to not lash out at her. "I just… okay, you know what, we do need some time or we're going to say something we both regret." She was quiet, didn't respond to him. "So, it I give you your… space, do you think you can at least call me back when you're ready to talk?"

Again, she was silent for too long before she said. "Okay. Later, I guess."

* * *

 


End file.
